Puritanism in the seventeenth century and the First Great Awakening in the eighteenth century influenced the development of American society. Like the formation of most societies, people moved from one area to another because of differences with the controlling ideas or beliefs of political authorities. England’s political, economic, and religious environments were threatening to the Puritans. They came to America with new ideas to form an ideal society where everyone could participate. The Great Awakening led to the diversification of Protestant-Christianity. Differences in beliefs between the religious leaders and the intellectuals of the Enlightenment and rivalries among themselves contributed to the formation of new Protestant denominations and a broader tolerance in the society.
Puritans traveled to New England in the early seventeenth century. They believed that economic and political forces and religious disagreements were creating a decline in English society. John Winthrop, sailing with a group of Puritans, preached that they should create a society in which the rich and the poor depended on each other and all could benefit from lack of greed and fair wages. Government and religion had a close relationship. The Puritans believed that government could prevent merchants from making excessive profits. They intended to make the strength of the community more important than the individual. Everyone had to attend the church and tithe, yet not everyone was considered a saint unless they professed their faith. The town meetings and church services were held in the same meetinghouse. Puritans believed that literacy was important in order to have knowledge of the scriptures. The beginning of public education came about when an act was passed requiring the appointment of a teacher for a town of fifty or more households, and to maintain a grammar school in towns with over one hundred households. The Puritans included more participation by citizens in the institutions than had been allowed in England. Not all voters had to hold property, and as a result, more than half of the colony’s men could vote. When the power of the governor and council was thought to be too great, the towns sent two delegates to the General Court. This Court eventually became a form of a House of Representatives. The break by Puritans from English domination, and the community Puritans established in New England, created some new ideas and influences that remain in our society today.
The Essay on Hester In A Puritan Society
The Puritans, in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter, were a group of people who were shaped by English experience and complete involvement in religion. The Puritan society molded itself and created a government based upon the Bible and implemented it with force. The crime of adultery committed by Hester generated rage, and was qualified for serious punishment according to Puritan beliefs. ...
The Great Awakening came about in the eighteenth century due to a reaction to the Enlightenment’s emphasis on science, nature and intellect as well as a Christian revivalism. A lack of order in the lives of the citizens and a disease epidemic reminded the citizens of their immortality. Religious preachers in New England, New York, and Philadelphia held revivals. Many converts, seeking salvation, joined the churches. The rivalry between Old and New Light Protestant leaders eventually created the three powerful churches (Presbyterian, Baptist and Methodist) that still dominate Protestantism in America today. The New Light churches established several Colleges including Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Rutgers and Dartmouth. In addition, the New Lights reached out to African Americans, Native Americans and granted women rights to speak and vote in the church meetings. Effects of the Great Awakening remain a part of our society today. Religious toleration and diversity became an important outcome of the revivals.
The Puritans laid the groundwork for important institutions in American society, including education and government, and expanded the power and the rights of the common citizen. The religious leaders of the Great Awakening contributed to the “sorting out” of religious differences, increased tolerance in the society and they established important institutions of higher education. Some Puritan beliefs remain, contributing to some of the more controversial and ongoing discussions in America today. Without the revivals of the Great Awakening, some historians believe citizens would not have been empowered to criticize their leaders, and the groundwork would not have been laid for a political revolution later in the century.
The Essay on Great Awakening American Colonies Religious
The Great Awakening The Great Awakening was a religious movement during the 1730's and 1740's in which itinerant ministers presented powerful messages of salvation and which provided early Americans with a greater sense of nationality. This religious movement also had a lasting effect upon the manner in which the people in the American colonies viewed themselves, their relationships with each ...
